The Best Skeleton Watches For Every Budget

Whether you’re an entry-level watch aficionado or a horological veteran who understands everything there is to know about movements, complications, and timekeeping, there are a variety of offerings that strive to satiate your thirst for established wristwear. Sure, a classic, full-bodied watch might seem like the perfect companion for every occasion — from board meetings and international travel to a night out on the town — but what about self-expression? An homage to your individual creativity? A signifier of your commitment to well-built Swiss craftsmanship? If you’re searching for a way to set yourself apart from the crowd, a skeletonized watch is often the perfect solution. We know that, due to their niche following, it might be difficult to sort out what’s what when you’re looking for your next skeleton — but never fear. Below, we’ll outline the best skeleton watches you can buy right now and give you a quick rundown of the companies that are leading the pack when it comes to intricate wristwear.

Now, skeletonized watches might not be for everyone — after all, they can be a little outlandish. The exclusion of the watch’s solid dial, a non-transparent case back, and traditional details might seem a little bit off of the beaten path when it comes to your usual, comfortable wristwatch. However, if you’re the type of person who enjoys the craft of renowned timekeeping, and you have a healthy respect for the small, intricate trappings of the classic wrist adornment, there’s no better option for stylish wear. These complex accessories pair perfectly with high-end tailored suits, lavish dress attire, and refined footwear. But they’re just as handsome when donned next to a well-thought-out casual outfit. From luxurious alligator and premium leather straps, polished titanium and PVD-coated cases, and intricate movements, skeleton watches have found a way to integrate a high-fashion mindset with that of practical, everyday wear. 

Types of Movement Decorations

If you’re going to be peering into the mechanical inner workings of these timepieces, watchmakers may decide to decorate certain components. Here are the most popular designs:

Côtes de Genève: Typically added to larger areas such as the bridge plates, Côtes de Genève is a wave-like stripe pattern and one of the most common types of movement decorations. 

Stippling: Stippling, or spotting, is a series of overlapping circles on certain timepieces. This isn’t as common as other types of decorations but worth mentioning since they do pop up now and again.

Engraving: Whether the movement is exposed or not, watchmakers have enjoyed engraving certain images or text on their rotors. These can often be the brand’s name, a logo, or some other representation of the timepiece.

Beveling: Beveling is less of a design on the components themselves and more of a decorative detailing done to their shaping, which softens the harder edges around the movement. This is harder to detect but a more subtle way for a watchmaker to decorate its inner workings.

Open Heart Vs. Openworked

While erroneously interchanged in colloquial speak, an “open heart” skeleton watch is different from an “openworked” skeleton watch. Both options give you a glance inside, but open-heart watches only let you see a small portion of the movement at once, such as the balance wheel. Conversely, an openworked dial — which gained popularity from the Audemars Piguet watch of the same name — is the same as a fully-skeletonized dial.

What to Look for in a Skeleton Watch

Skeleton Design: While many skeleton watches expose their entire movements on both the front and back, some timepieces only choose a certain portion of their dial as a window to peek through. Called “open heart” watches, these will be a bit more affordable than the fully skeletonized watches.

Movement: Obviously, any watch that exposes its movement should have a movement worth exposing to begin with. While some of these automatic or manually-wound watches will be reliable and precise, others may be a bit more innovative, making it interesting to take a peek at.

Price: Skeleton watches have a reputation of being pricey, but there are some that aren’t as hard on your bank account. Just know, if you’re planning on starting a skeleton watch collection, it won’t come cheap.

Strap: Since many of these watches are of the dressier variety, you’ll notice leather or stainless steel bands. However, plenty of skeleton watches come adorned with rubber or other metals like titanium or platinum.

Case Material: Case material has never been more diverse than it is today. With options such as stainless steel, titanium, ceramic, and platinum being worthy of a skeletonized dial, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Bulova Sutton

Typically, skeletonized dials are reserved for the luxury watch world — or at least the over-$1,000 watch world. However, Bulova, who’s known for remarkable timepieces at reasonable prices, has given us a see-through version of the Sutton, an automatic 8N26 movement with some Côtes de Genève decoration inside. The 43mm stainless steel case features an impact-resistant domed crystal on the front and an exhibition caseback. With help from the steel bracelet, this sub-$600 timepiece punches way above its price tag and can serve well as a leveled-up dress watch.

Hamilton Jazzmaster Open Heart

Hamilton’s 42mm Jazzmaster Open Heart is a testament to the quality of the Pennsylvania-based watchmaker, which has consistently married timeless American style and classic Swiss influence for its extensive wristwear catalog. Only teasing certain elements of the manufacturer’s H-10 automatic movement, allowing us to simply peek behind the curtain of the watch’s inner workings. A stainless steel case with 50m of water resistance and a matching steel bracelet ensure that this Jazzmaster will stay ticking for years to come.

Mido Multifort Skeleton Vertigo

We often tend to forget about Mido amidst other Swiss heritage brands like Omega, Tissot, and Longines. However, Mido, who’s been around for over a century, has mastered the art of fair-priced timepieces with high-quality movements. As for this skeletonized take of its flagship Multifort dress watch, the company gave it a 42mm stainless steel case and matching bracelet. Inside, it showcases its ETA-base Caliber 80 automatic through an openworked center, around which the dial continues with vertical detailing, an inner seconds ring, and outer indices.

Tissot T-Complication Squelette Mechanical

Tissot’s notable timekeepers have received high praise over the lifetime of the company, making it even easier to believe that the exposed caliber of their T-Complication Squelette would warrant such an admired reaction from wearers. A visible mechanical skeleton movement blends the watch’s surprisingly modern (and sleek) internal architecture with a 43mm 316L stainless steel case and black leather strap, offering a classic look that still embodies hints of present-day design principles. The T-Complication’s domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal utilizes a double-sided anti-reflective coating and see-through case back — providing the perfect contemporary timepiece for those who want to take a step outside of the box.

Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115

While a lot of skeletonized dials are made to showcase preexisting movements from a watchmaker, Oris decided to make a movement specifically to show off, placing the Calibre 115 inside of its famed ProPilot X dress watch. It’s a manually-wound ticker with an incredible 10 days of power reserve thanks to an oversized barrel inside which the mainspring is coiled. There’s even a power reserve indicator at the 3 o’clock position. The watch itself is quite impressive too, with its 44mm titanium case, matching bracelet, and turbine-style bezel.

Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton

Few brands are known for their skeleton watches more than Zenith, a brand that first pops into the minds of many people when discussing openworked dials to begin with. Its DEFY line is typically defined by ultra-modern-looking, almost futuristic timepieces. This skeletonized version of the Skyline takes the classic dress watch and shows us inside, with a black dial, featuring Zenith’s signature four-point star design. Thanks to the high-frequency El Primero 3620 SK in-house automatic movement, the watch sports a subdial that ticks by at 1/10th of a second — the first of its kind. It’s all encased inside of a 41mm octagonal dial and faceted bezel made of stainless steel, which is instantly redolent of AP’s Royal Oak. 

Hublot Aerofusion Titanium

The Hublot Aerofusion Titanium — part of its Classic Fusion series — is one of those watches that speaks to the status of the individual wearing it, offering a niche design that can only be appreciated by a true connoisseur of the wristwear world. Perhaps the sportiest on this list with its bicompax chronograph complication that’s powered by the HUB1155 automatic movement, seen through the AR sapphire crystal of the skeletonized dial and open caseback. Ticking for 42 hours after you take it off, it’s held inside a 45mm titanium case that’s been polished and satin-finished, fitted with six H-shaped screws that secure the sapphire in place.

Piaget Polo Skeleton watch

Piaget’s Polo watch debuted in 1979, birthed from the luxury sports watch boom with its chic design language and versatile wearability. Today, the Polo gets a Skeleton version, allowing us to see the inside of these marvelous timepieces. Piaget is known for its incredibly thin in-house movements (which yield ultra-thin cases), such as this 1200S1 automatic caliber, colored blue here for the eye to see through the sapphire crystal. At 42mm across, the stainless steel timepiece is an incredibly 6.5mm thick — an impressive feat for any watch, let alone one you can see through.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked

Audemars Piguet is certainly one of the most “animated” watch manufacturers in the industry today. And what better way to experience the best the watchworld has to offer than with a skeletonized version of its legendary Royal Oak? Bearing all the hallmarks of the octagonal timepiece, including the integrated bracelet, this Openworked variant features a 41mm black ceramic case with glare-proof sapphire on the front and caseback. Inside, you’ll witness the brand’s Calibre 3132 automatic, featuring the patented double balance wheel mechanism, which is given black ceramic material as well. The dial itself is given pink gold applied indices and hands, just to add to the exquisite beauty of this already impressive timepiece.

Grand Seiko Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon SLGT003

If nothing else, Grand Seiko is known for its beautiful and inspired dials. However, what if that dial weren’t there anymore? Well, then we’d have to remind ourselves that the Japanese watchmaker is much more than its visual artistry but its horological prowess as well. Part of its Masterpiece Collection, this ref. SLGT003  is limited to just 20 pieces and is based on a concept from 2020 that combined a tourbillon complication and constant-force mechanism onto a single axis for the first time ever — which we can now see inside. For those unfamiliar, a constant-force mechanism essentially prevents a watch from losing precision as the power reserve runs out. For the Kobo, the time-telling dial only takes up a portion of the face, with the tourbillon right below it. Still managing to get 100m of water resistance through the whole ordeal, GS used platinum 950 for the inner case, while Brilliant Hard Titanium was used for the 43.8mm outer case. 

The Best Dress Watches for Any Budget

If you’re looking for the perfect timepiece for nicer occasions, head over to our guide to the best dress watches to buy.